


Catfished

by Earley



Category: Persona 5
Genre: M/M, One Shot, Romantic Comedy, one brain cell, phantom thieves as a big family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-18
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-24 01:42:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18159812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Earley/pseuds/Earley
Summary: Akira and the thieves know that Akechi can understand Morgana but feigns not to, so they play a game called -Let Morgana throw shade at Akechi and watch him pretend not to hear anything-.Akira thinks that Goro’s reactions are hilarious most of the time.





	Catfished

 

“Oh my god, he’s here again, doesn’t he have anything else to do?” whined Morgana.

Akechi stiffened up from his chair in Leblanc. Akira, who had just come in after spending the afternoon working at Iwai’s shop, coughed a little. “Hey, Akechi, how are you doing?”

“Ah, Kurusu, welcome back. I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn’t hear you come in,” said the detective with an awkward laugh.

Akira gave him an apologetic smile. “People say that I can be as silent as a cat,” he joked, and gave a small push to his bag, hoping that Morgana would understand the action as to keep silent, which he did.

Truth was, Akira and the other thieves had known for some time that Akechi could hear and understand Morgana, but feigned not to. Was it troublesome? Yes. Was Akechi suspicious? Heck yes. Were they dealing with it correctly? Not really, but they had created a sport called _-Let Morgana throw shade at Akechi and watch him pretend not to hear anything-_ and for the most part it was pretty entertaining. Akira thought Goro’s reactions were hilarious most of the time.

Key word being most of the time; for some reason, today’s comment had seemed to deeply bother the detective.

“Akechi, are you leaving already?” Akira asked, feeling a tad guilty as he watched Akechi stand up and grab his things.

“Ah yes, you see, I’m _very_ _busy_ so I came here to have a quick cup of coffee, but I should get back home and finish all my work.”

Even if Akira noticed how much emphasis Akechi put in ‘very busy’ he didn’t mention it, and simply said “Alright, but don’t overwork yourself.”

“I will try. Sorry for barging in, see you around!“ And with a polite yet troubled smile, Goro Akechi hurriedly left.

From the kitchen, Sojiro sighed. “Is that what he calls a quick cup of coffee? He’s been here for three whole hours!” Then he looked at Akira. “And you, stop standing there and help me out.”

“Mona, you went too far today,” Akira admonished later that night, while forging some lockpicks.

Mona, clearly knowing what Akira was talking about, looked at his paws with a mischievous smile. “Oh, my bad.”

“That was mean.”

“Aw come on, we play this game all the time, and you heard boss, he has been here for God knows how many hours despite bragging about being busy all the time. He is here to spy on us.”

That was a strong possibility, and yet... “Maybe, but he also seems to be having a hard time with the media... He might be using Leblanc as a safe place, we shouldn’t make him feel unwelcome here too…”

“When you say it like that… ARGH! Now I feel bad!” Morgana whined. He had a foul mouth, and sometimes he could be too brash, but deep inside he had a big heart. “It’s not like I can apologize to him, though.”

Akira finished the lockpick and fixed his glasses, a bright light obscuring his eyes. “Actually…”

*** 

“Good morning, are you starting the semester today?” Akechi asked two days later, as he greeted Akira with a friendly wave in the subway platform.

Akira nodded, still half asleep and already missing the summer holidays. Distractedly, he stared at whatever it was that Akechi was holding in his hand, which the detective seemed to notice.

“Ah, I was quite hungry and bought myself a pastry.” He explained, happily holding what seemed to be a half eaten chocolate muffin. “It had very good reviews online and I wanted to see if they were true,” he rambled.

Akira smiled inwardly, for some reason he was glad to see Akechi in good spirits. “And what is your verdict?”

“The reviews certainly didn’t lie,” Akechi said with a bright smile.

Akira smiled back, thinking about how funny it was that the detective had genuine passion when it came to high-carb foods. “I’m glad,” he said, truthfully. Then, he remembered the apologize-to-Akechi plan he had discussed with Morgana the other night and pushed his school bag a little for the cat to peak up.

_(The plan was very simple. Mona simply had to say something nice about Akechi. The boy obviously would act as if he didn’t hear anything, but at least that would work as an apology.)_

It was very basic, very easy, yet when Mona peaked through Akira’s shoulder to look at Akechi, the first thing the cat said was:

“Oh dude, he has crap on his teeth!”

Akira froze at the same time Akechi’s bright smile closed comically fast.

“...Akechi-” Akira tried,

“A-Ah! Ha ha… I should– I should go if I don’t want to be late,” Akechi tried to say, but it was barely comprehensible because he was trying very hard to speak without opening his mouth. “Bye-!” he mumbled, and he and his chocolate muffin disappeared as quick as they had appeared in the first place.

Akira waited a few seconds in complete shock and then… “Morgana!”

“Oh my god, I’m sorry!!” the poor not-cat cried, guiltily, “but it was just right there!!”

“It’s rude! And I didn’t notice!”

Akira realized that he would be seen as a lunatic if he kept screaming at his cat, so he tried to calm himself. Okay, the plan had been a total failure, but at least Akechi wouldn’t be out there with chocolate all over his teeth (He could already imagine the feast the online trolls would have thrown if someone had taken a picture of Akechi looking like that.) but still, it could have been said in a more subtle, less embarrassing way. If only Akira had noticed...

“How could you miss it?” Morgana insisted. “It was a big chunk of chocolate in the front tooth! You are supposed to be our super observant leader!”

 _Was it really that big?_ “I– I don’t know…” Akira murmured, genuinely puzzled and realizing, with growing fear, that he probably didn’t notice because he had been too busy thinking about how pretty the detective looked when he was rambling about food.

Later that day, Ann kidnapped Akira and Morgana to the movie theater so they could watch a romantic film with her. “They say it makes you cry even more than Hachiko!” she had said, very proud for some reason.

 _“Joseph! All this time and… You were in love with me?”_ asked the beautiful main actress, full of pain and tears.

 _“Always, Carlotta!”_ Joseph’s voice broke, tears running down his face to match his love.

_“But... When we met I was a poor and ugly peasant.”_

_“Carlotta… You were always beautiful to me, even when you were covered in dirt, even when your dress was ragged and your hair was chopped and your teeth were black and missing. I never noticed all those flaws because I love you!”_

_“Joseph!!”_ cried Carlotta.

 _“Carlotta!!”_ cried Joseph.

 _“That’s true love!”_ cried Ann.

And it was in that dark movie theater that Morgana, full of realization, gasped.

***

“Wait, so you like Akechi?!” Screamed Ann in the middle of Shibuya, with her mouth full of crepe and maybe cookies and a bit of cream too.

“No, I don’t,” Akira shot back, like a liar.

“But you did just as the romantic movie said! Lady Ann, this morning Akira didn’t notice that Akechi’s teeth were full of crap! That must mean that he loves him unconditionally!” the cat explained. Maybe the true traitor had been Morgana all along, thought Akira, salty.

“I said I don’t like Akechi,” he repeated, less sure.

“Oh my god, his face is so red, he is totally in love!” Ann squealed, and Akira was pretty sure that some crepe fell from her mouth to his white shirt.

“Is anyone listening to me? I think I should have a say–”

“Akira! Don’t be shy, I know that Akechi is, like, kind of our enemy for hating the Phantom Thieves and all of that, but I support your prohibited love. Let me and Morgana help you!”

“Oh my God, me and lady Ann working together?!” exclaimed the cat with a dreamy face, completely sold. “YES!”

Akira looked at an imaginary camera full of grief.

***

“Kurusu,” Akechi said a couple of days later, with a forced smile not full of chocolate this time, “Is your friend okay?”

Akira wanted to say that no, that his friend was not okay and neither was he, but he was a strong, independent leader, so instead, he said, “Ah yes, she just got a cold.”

They were at Leblanc. Akira --apron on-- was in the middle of making coffee, Akechi was seated in his usual chair at the counter, and Ann was in one of the booths, wearing a big, pink hat and huge butterfly-shaped glasses (a disguise, she had called it) while she was also holding Morgana.

Both Morgana and Ann were reading a newspaper that dated a few months old.

Maybe Akira wasn’t strong enough for this.

“I’ve got to say,” Akechi coughed, still looking at Ann from time to time with suspicion. “That your coffee is delicious, it’s certainly different from Boss, but not in a bad way.”

“Ah, thanks. Sojiro had an emergency so he left me in charge this afternoon,” he explained, toying with his bangs and trying to ignore Ann’s heart eyes from the booth. “Do you know how to make coffee?”

“Just the basics,” Akechi admitted. “I don’t usually cook for myself, so I’m not the best in that area.”

“I could show you sometime, if you want,” offered Akira with a welcoming smile, but when Akechi seemed to think on what to answer, Ann coughed really, really hard.

“Are you sure she is okay?” Akechi asked, more worried than suspicious at this point.

Akira, feeling some cold sweat on his forehead, nodded. That… cough? Animal suffering noise? was the signal that the plan was on. Honestly, he still thought that this whole thing was a terrible idea,

but he couldn’t back down now.

“AH!” Akira yelled, startling Akechi, who almost choked on his coffee. “Some beans are missing, I need to go to the grocery store.” He said, and hurriedly took the apron off as if it was a life or death situation.

“Right now?” asked Akechi, stunned. “Is… Is it alright to leave the place unsupervised?”

“It’s not unsupervised if you are here,” noted Akira with a nervous smile. This was a disaster already.

Akechi, still confused yet eager to please, slowly nodded. “You trust me too much, but don’t worry, I’m sure me and your friend can take care of the shop.”

Ann coughed a bit more and gave him two thumbs up.

Akira said thanks and left, leaving Akechi, Ann, and Morgana alone in Leblanc.

***

“It’s been ten minutes since he left, isn’t the grocery store at the corner?” pointed out Akechi. He had already finished his coffee and was staring at his wrist watch with a frown.

Ann, who was still seated in the booth faking some kind of mortal illness, looked at him with a very innocent face. “Ah yes, he texted me saying that he had to help a lady carry her bags home, so he will be a bit late.”

“I see…”

“He is such a good person!” Morgana added, voice clear for all to hear. He then winked at Ann, who winked back.

At that, Akechi only hummed, not seeming very impressed.

“OH!” Added Morgana, “Akira just texted you again, Lady Ann. He is saying that he is very thirsty so he asks you if you can make him his special blend.”

“But I don’t remember the preparation…” said Ann, very, very sadly.

“Is there something wrong?” asked Akechi, curious.

“No, no.” Smiled Ann, still a troubled expression on her face.

Morgana put his paw on Ann’s cheek, dramatically. “Don’t worry, Lady Ann, I have seen boss make Akira’s favourite blend many times, so I remember how it’s made,” he said cheerfully, and then proceeded to tell Ann all the steps to make that coffee.

“I see! But ugh, I feel too sick to even stand up…” complained Ann, weakly.

“Are you alright, An- Takamaki-san? Are you sure that there’s absolutely nothing that I can do?” insisted Akechi.

Ann made a feeble hand gesture, as if she was dying. “Don’t worry… It’s just that Akira wants me to make him a Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, but I’m too sick to even stand up…”

Akechi gave her his TV smile. “I can do it, if you want.”

Ann brightened up, “Wow Akechi! Do you know how to make that blend?”

“Yeah, I know a bit about coffee so that won’t be a problem.” The detective boasted, contradicting what he had told Akira a few minutes earlier and sounding very confident (If only because he had heard Morgana’s useful steps on how to make it) “Please, allow me to do it.”

“Of course! You are so amazing!”

“It’s nothing, really. Who knows, maybe I can become a barista in the future,” laughed Akechi, full of confidence, and got to work.

At their booth, Ann and Morgana shared a winning glance and smiled. Morgana had to admit that Ann’s plan worked perfectly. She had taken into account the fact that Akechi was a show off, and then created a setting in which the detective would be able to boast by making Akira some delicious coffee.

“I’m the best.” Ann proudly patted at her own back. 

***

When Akira got back, he found Akechi and Ann trying to stop a fire.

“What the hell happened?” he had asked. After the fire was put out, Akechi left with a hundred apologies –and burned bangs– and Sojiro had told Akira to work for free for the next five months.

“Akechi wasn’t lying.” Ann had said, crying. “When he told you that he didn’t know how to cook! I’m so sorry! I-I just– You are always helping us so I wanted to help you too!”

“It’s okay, Ann, I know you meant well.” Akira gave her a comforting smile. Then he closed his eyes, and counted to ten.

*** 

“I’m so disappointed in you,” said Makoto next Monday, visibly sad.

“I swear,” started Akira, “that I studied the whole night. I don’t know what happened with the biology exam. What the hell is a mitosis?”

“Really, Akira? Mitosis is the type of cell division in which… Wait, I wasn’t talking about your grades, although I should organize a study meeting session soon. I’m worried about Ryuji, and Ann, and you, and–”

“Makoto-” Akira interrupted her, worried about where the conversation was going. “Before that, why were you disappointed in me?”

“Oh, right!” said Makoto, remembering her original complain. “One word: Akechi,” She said, with a very unkind tone, as it was known she didn’t get along with the detective (not like most people did, anyway).

“What has he done to you?”

“To me, nothing. But I can’t believe you asked Ann for help and almost burned Leblanc down.”

Oh woah, why did bad rumours about him always spread so fast. “I’m... sorry.”

“You better be, I’m the strategist, you should have come to me for help,” grumbled Makoto.

“Help?”

“Yes, I will help you romance Akechi,” she said, out of the blue. “I don’t know a lot about romance, but I believe that my strategy skills will prove useful. I would like you to trust me.”

“Wait, I don’t want to romance Akechi. What did Ann tell you?”

“She told me everything. She said that you have loved him all this time but you didn’t want to tell us because he is against us.”

Akira wanted to dig a hole and die. This whole thing was spiraling out of control.

Nevertheless, Makoto continued as the immovable force that she was. “I’m aware that following these feelings is not the smartest course of action, since he still claims that the Phantom Thieves are dangerous, but...  after everything you have done for us, it would be cruel that we didn’t help you back.”

“This… This is a big mistake-”

“–And if he becomes your… boyfriend,” she continued, with a weird face. “He will probably stop being an enemy to us, so in the long run this is also beneficial for our team.”

“You really don’t have to…” said Akira, weakly, he needed to stop this, but it was too late. Makoto looked incredibly determined.

“As I said, I don’t know a lot about romance, but Ann told me that you are using Morgana as a means to confess to him, so if you let me, I believe I can come with a successful plan of attack.”

“...” Akira was kind of touched that his friends wanted to help him with so much vehemence, since it usually was the other way around due to his private nature and his need to deal with his own problems alone. But still, he wasn’t even sure he liked the detective, he just wanted to get to know him better.

He was about to tell Makoto just that, but when he stared at her and saw her eyes full of fire and hope, he sighed in defeat.

“...Alright, tell me your plan.”

***

“Kurusu? You come to the public library?” Sweater vest Akechi asked, not hiding his surprise.

Akira almost laughed at how shocked Akechi sounded, “Yeah, I’m also surprised that I know how to read.”

Akechi chuckled. “Come on, I didn’t mean it like that,” he said, totally meaning it like that, “I was just surprised to converge with you in this place as well.”

 _Nice save._ Akira nodded, still amused. “I guess we will have to keep calling these encounters fate,” he teased, making a reference to the last time Akechi had told him the same thing.

Akechi, probably noticing how flirty those words sounded when someone besides him said them, blushed a little. “Hah, throwing it back to me, I see. By the way, I’m very sorry for the... Leblanc matter,” he added, purposefully leaving the word _‘fire’_ out.

“It’s alright, the past is in the past,” Akira reassured him, happy to see that Akechi’s bangs still looked great despite being a bit burned in the ends.

“I’m glad to hear that, I hope you don’t leave your workplace unattended for a big amount of time in the future, though!”

Leave it for Akechi to try and subtly pin the blame of the fire on Akira. Maybe Makoto was right and Akechi was a dick, but he supposed he didn’t dislike that kind of dick. _Okay, weird wording_.

“What book are you holding?” Akira quickly asked.

“This one? It’s C.G. Jung’s the ‘Psychology of the Unconscious.’ I finished it so I was about to return it and grab another one.”

Akira had never heard of that author nor book. “Did you enjoy it?”

“It was very interesting, yes.” Akechi nodded, “Have you read it?” he asked, with a tone that expressed that he already expected a ‘no’ as a response.

Akira laughed, embarrassed. “No, I haven’t.”

Then, Morgana peaked through his back and, with excellent acting, said, “But Akira, you love that book! You read it a few weeks ago and enjoyed it a lot!”

Akira coughed a little at the same time Akechi’s eyes widened imperceptibly, clearly astonished but unable to say anything since he shouldn’t be able to hear the cat.

“A-Are you sure you haven’t read it?” Akechi asked again, anyway.

Akira shook his head “No, I guess these books are too complex for me.”

Morgana spoke up again. “Akira… You love psychology and philosophy books! Akechi will think you aren’t as smart as you actually are if you don’t tell him… You really are too humble...”

Akira laughed a bit embarrassed. “Sorry, he meows a lot.”

For his part, Akechi was staring at him with huge, impressed eyes, clearly not knowing what to do with that information.

A few bookshelves away, and hiding herself by holding a book in front of her face, Makoto smiled proudly. For all she knew, Akechi was a pompous asshole who never missed a chance to brag about how smart he was (which, okay, she had to admit that he was indeed very smart).

Thanks to that knowledge, though, Makoto supposed that the way to Akechi’s heart would be through the head: Akira had to prove to Akechi that he was very smart too. The problem was that they didn’t have enough time to make Akira become the next Einstein, but that wouldn’t stop her, and thus, a few days ago Makoto came up with the perfect plan:

_“Morgana, every time Akira says that he hasn’t read a book, you will have to say that he actually has, this way Akechi will think that Akira hides how smart he actually is because he is too humble. That will surely make Akechi fall in love with him.”_

_“Wow, Makoto, this sounds like it can work! That’s why you are our queen!” Morgana had said, impressed._

_Makoto played with her hair, shy. “Not at all, I just want to help,” she smiled. “But after that, you are reading more books.”_

_“Yessir,” Akira had said._

It had been a couple of minutes and Akechi was still staring at Akira as if he was facing a very complicated equation. Akira thought that maybe that’s how the detective looked when he was developing a crush. Either way, he quickly brushed those thoughts aside, he wasn’t in love, he just wanted to get to know him better.

“Are you alright?” Akira asked, with a small smile.

“...Ah yes, yes, I was just…” Akechi said, a bit flustered,“ I just remembered that there’s a convention on Plato’s work this weekend, I was given a couple of tickets and I was wondering if you–”

Akira was already tasting victory and mentally thanking Makoto for being a genius when Akechi’s mouth suddenly stopped, his brows furrowed, and his eyes traveled at something behind Akira.

With a calm voice that held barely-concealed fury, he asked, “Is that Nijima-san?”

 _Shit_. Akira turned around and, as expected, found Makoto doing a poor job at hiding herself.

“It seems… so, yes.” Akira said, sweating. Makoto  still had a long way to go when it came to stalking. One would say a single book covering her face wasn’t enough.

Akechi, clearly suspicious, walked towards her. When Makoto spotted him in front of her, she almost dropped her book. “Nijima-san, what a coincidence,” smiled Akechi, overly polite.

“Akechi,” Makoto said, less polite, “and Akira, I didn’t know you both liked to hang out at the library,” she noted. Akira mentally thanked the gods that she was a better liar than Ann.

Still, Akechi was smart, if Akira didn’t do anything quick, the detective would start suspecting that something strange was going on, specially now that he had seen both Ann and Makoto wearing poor disguises near him. He had to think of something.

“What book are you reading?” Akira kindly asked Makoto, trying to sound as casual as possible.

“Oh.” Makoto looked at the book that she used to hide herself behind. “It’s… Freud’s biography.”

“I have read that book,” Akechi commented, rubbing his chin. “I found it quite an interesting read.”

At that, Makoto actually frowned. “Really? Because I think that it would have been better if his work had never existed to begin with.”

Akechi slightly frowned too. “I’m not saying that I agree with everything he said, of course, I just think that…”

Akira didn’t know how exactly it happened, he just knew that, at some point, Akechi almost had asked him out on a date and, in the next moment, he and Makoto started discussing passionately about Freud in the middle of a public library.

After thirty minutes of listening to those two argue and feeling a bit forgotten and hurt, Akira decided to quit and go eat sushi with Morgana, leaving Akechi, Makoto, and Freud behind.

*** 

 **_Makoto_ : ** _I’m so sorry!!_

 **_Akira_ : ** _It’s okay, really._

 **_Makoto_ : ** _No, it’s not, I got too carried away._

_**_Makoto_ : **And argued with Akechi for over two hours._

_**_Makoto_ : **The librarian had to tell us to go outside because we were talking too loud._

**_Akira_ : ** _Nerd wars._

 **_Makoto_ : ** _I’m so embarrassed. I really wanted to help you, I swear._

_**_Makoto_ : **But he was just so wrong, Akira..._

**_Akira_ : ** _I understand._

 **_Makoto_ : ** _He had so many bad takes…_

 **_Akira_ : ** _At least he is pretty._

***

“I watched a beautiful movie the other day that inspired me a lot, it even gave me an idea on how to help you,” said Yusuke with a calm voice three days later. He and Akira had been people watching in Shibuya for a couple of hours already.

“Help me?” Akira asked, starting to feel a dreading sense of déjà vu.

“Yes, to help you and your relationship with Akechi flourish,” said the artist, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Akira crossed his arms, tired. “Look, I don’t know what Ann or Makoto have told you, but I don’t like Akechi, at least not in that way.” He really needed to stop the rumours before they got to even Akechi himself.

“You don’t like him in that way?” Yusuke repeated, a frown on his face. “Then why do you look so calm and content every time you talk with him?”

 _He did? No way…_ “I look calm and content when I speak to all of you,” Akira retorted, equally impressed and embarrassed at how observant Yusuke could be.

“Really? I see.” Yusuke didn’t look too convinced; he put both hands on Akira’s shoulders and looked at him in the eyes. “Are you sure?”

Akira gulped. He wasn’t sure, hell, he was still trying to sort out his feelings towards Akechi and Yusuke being so intense wasn’t helping his case.

“I… Don’t know, but you don’t need to worry about it, seriously.”

Yusuke shook his head, sad. “Akira, I am in great debt with you since you gave me the courage I needed to face Madarame. At first I didn’t want your help, but you insisted and saved me,” Yusuke said, voice full of gratitude. “Now, you are telling me that I should not worry, even when you look so troubled. I treasure our friendship as a two way street, so please, are you sure you don’t want my help?”

“Yusuke…” Akira was left speechless. He had always helped people because that was the right thing to do, but he had never noticed how those same people would want to return the favour and help him back with so much vigor.

He smiled to himself, he really had an amazing group of supportive friends. “Okay...” he said, in defeat.

“Okay? Oh! Does that mean you want me to help you with Akechi?” asked Yusuke, voice full of energy again.

Akira put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “Why not.”

“Fantastic! I really feel that if we follow the movie I watched, some great advancement will occur!”

“Uh, yes, what movie is it, anyway?” he asked, happy for Yusuke but unsure about everything else.

“That’s not relevant,” said the artist with a mysterious smile that did nothing but make Akira more nervous. “Ah, but I will have to ask of you to lend me Morgana for a few days.”

“Hey! I’m not an object!” Morgana whined.

“Oh god, what movie is it, Yusuke?” repeated Akira, even more worried about the whole thing.

Yusuke laughed elegantly. “You will see, you will see. It will be superb.” 

***

“Is he always like that?” Akechi asked, from one side of the boat.

“Yes, but in his defense he is a really good artist,” Akira assured him, from the other side of the boat.

A few months earlier, Akira would have laughed if anyone had told him that he would share a romantic boat ride with media darling Goro Akechi (ft. Morgana) and yet, there he was, on a romantic boat ride with Akechi in Inokashira Park during a sunny Sunday.

Yusuke was there too, staring in their direction from the land and drawing them with fast and expert strokes.

“I’ve got to say,” Akechi started, “I was very curious when Kitagawa-kun first contacted me this morning. I thought that he would want to tell me more about the Phantom Thieves, since he was one of Madarame’s victims, a case I’m still assigned on. So when I arrived and saw you both here, I was a little taken back, I didn’t expect to…”

“To end up in a boat ride with me?” finished Akira. “Sorry, I know, it’s a bit weird.”

“Only a bit,” Akechi laughed, not quite genuinely. “Well, Kitagawa said that he would tell me more information about the case if I allowed him to draw me on a boat, and you even offered to keep me company here so, all in all, this is not so unenjoyable.” Akechi said with ease. He then pushed a lock of hair behind his ear and gazed at the water.

“Today’s weather is ideal for something like this, I might even fall asleep,” he joked.

Akira nodded to himself and absentmindedly stared at Akechi, who looked like some sort of ethereal Monet painting thanks to the soft sunlight that filtered through the trees and created hypnotizing, dancing shadows all over Akechi and the water around him.

He caught himself staring for too long and cleared his throat. “When Yusuke sees someone pretty he kind of stops thinking rationally and feels a strong need to paint them. He did the same thing with Ann.”

“Oh, so you think I’m pretty? I’m flattered,” Akechi teased, and he really did look a bit flattered. “Ann… Is that friend of yours from the other day, Takamaki, right? It seems that you all are a very lively group,” he complimented, although his tone lacked his usual over-the-top cheerfulness.

“Yeah, they are quite energetic,” Akira agreed, a small smile on his face while he inadvertently side eyed Yusuke with a bit of concern.

Truth to be told, Akira still had no idea what Yusuke’s plan was about. That morning, Yusuke had called him to the park and when Akechi showed up, he had made them climb on one of the boats not taking a _‘no’_ as an answer. Morgana, the only other individual who knew about the plan, remained mysteriously silent on the boat’s floor.

Whatever the plan was, Akira hoped that the movie Yusuke used as inspiration had nothing to do with _Titanic_.

“Ha ha… I wonder if Kitagawa will take much longer, the other people are staring at us,” Akechi commented, avoiding the curious eyes of the other couples in the boats around them.

“They must think we are a lovely couple,” Akira deadpanned.

“You–” Akechi started, then hid his surprise with a cough, “You do love taking me by surprise.”

“Well, you also took me by surprise, with the fire and all…” he tried to hide his grin.

Akechi sighed. “From now on you will always bring that up, won’t you?”

“Goro Akechi, ace detective and pyromaniac.”

“Stop it or I will push you off the boat,” Akechi threatened, but his tone was teasing.

“You may try, but I’m taking the oars with me.” Akira grinned, holding the oars a bit tighter to prove his point. Akechi rolled his eyes in disbelief and Akira laughed.

“You are terrible,” said the detective, trying to sound angry, but Akira could see the corners of Akechi’s lips doing some kind of effort to contain his smile with no luck.

Akira couldn't stop the dumb smile that threatened to appear on his face as well. He had never seen Akechi this comfortable and content, it was refreshing and it made something in his stomach stir.

He was about to make another joke to see if he could get another smile from Akechi when, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Yusuke make some type of strange pose that could only mean one thing: It was the signal for the plan to start.

Akira wanted to tell Yusuke that it wasn’t necessary, that he was already having a good time with Akechi, but it was too late, once Yusuke made that signal, Morgana’s eyes perked up, and the cat suddenly jumped at the fore of the boat.

“Woah-!” Akechi said, not expecting Morgana to jump so suddenly.

“M-Morgana?” Akira asked, nervously. He didn’t know what to expect, he only hoped that it wasn’t too weird.

“Akira,” Morgana said, voice loud and clear, “I’ve decided... to become a singer.”

_So much for hoping..._

Akira stared at Morgana with total confusion while Akechi tried very hard to remain as normal as possible, although his left eye twitched. _‘He must be so bewildered, oh my god,’_ thought Akira.

Meanwhile, Morgana paid them no mind. No, in that moment he was a cat on a mission. He was reciting word by word whatever Yusuke had told him those past few days. “I hope you can enjoy this song, Akira, I will sing it now to you!!”

“Morgana, no, wait–”

Morgana counted to three, and...

_“There you see him,_

_Sitting there across the way,_

_He don’t got a lot to say,_

_But there’s something about him.”_

Akira _froze._ He couldn't believe it. 

It really was happening to him, on a beautiful sunny day in Inokashira Park, during a romantic boat ride with Goro Akechi, and Akira had to live through the experience of Morgana singing a male version of “Kiss the Girl”

The movie Yusuke had watched wasn’t _Titanic_. It was the fucking _Little Mermaid._

_And even worse, Morgana didn’t even know how to sing!_

When Akira got over the first wave on mental breakdown, he slowly turned up to Akechi only to find the poor detective silently staring at the water. Akira seriously contemplated whether or not he should just jump into the lake and end it all.

He stared at Yusuke, who was smiling at him from the land. The artist gave him a proud thumbs up. The madman had really taught Morgana how to sing a Disney song. In all of his stupor and mental chaos, Akira was kind of impressed.

_“And you don’t know why,_

_But you are dying to try_

_You wanna kiss the boy.”_

Akechi was still staring at the water as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world. He also looked like he wanted to jump, or worse, throw Morgana off the boat.

“You were right, your cat… meows a lot,” he whispered.

“Sometimes I wish he didn’t,” Akira whispered back.

“This is going to be a long ride.”

Both boys sighed and spent the next few minutes disassociating, staring at the bright water while Morgana sang to his heart’s content.

_“Go on and kiss the boy_

_(kiss the boy)”_

*** 

“This is for you.” Yusuke had told Akira later that night.

“Oh, the drawing.” Akira said, still in some kind of post-trauma shock. He stared at the painting with unfocused eyes and, despite the embarrassment still fresh in his mind, he had to admit that Yusuke was truly a good artist, he had captured the colors and the reflection of the water beautifully. As for Akira and Akechi, they both had been portrayed as not looking at each other, but at the water, with their cheeks incredibly red.

“After you left, I told Akechi a few new details about Madarame, but nothing that could compromise us, so don’t worry,” said Yusuke. “Will you show the painting to Akechi?’”

Akira was still staring at the drawing. Akechi looked a mix of embarrassed, angry, and bewildered, but also strikingly real. “Eh… Uh, no, I think I will keep it to myself.”

Yusuke smiled, as if he had read between some lines that Akira wasn’t even aware of, and nodded. “Of course.”

***

“Hey, little mermaid, are you really using Mona to flirt with Akechi?” asked Futaba a couple of weeks later, while Akira was hanging around in her room.

“No,” said Akira. And then, “How do you know?”

“I have Leblanc rigged, dummy. I hear everything you say. I can even hear your gay thoughts.” Futaba grinned. “Also, Yusuke showed me the video he took of Mona singing to you both, I almost had to call an ambulance because I was laughing so hard.”

“Don’t remind me, I still have nightmares about that…”

“And before that, Makoto and Akechi got into a fist fight for you,” continued Futaba, clearly entertained.

“What? That’s not even true. The rumours are getting out of hand,” despaired Akira.

“Oh, does that mean that you didn’t actually burn Leblanc?”

“Okay, no, that one happened. But in my defense, it was Ann’s idea.”

“Of course it was Ann’s idea. If it had been mine, you two would already be dating,” said Futaba, cheekily.

“How many times do I have to say this, I don’t want to date him!”

“Denial is not a river in Egypt.”

“I’m not in denial,” retorted Akira, in denial. “I just feel bad for him. I know he is hiding something, and that we can’t trust him, but he looks like he needs help.”

“And a kiss,” added Futaba.

“Yes, and a ki- Wait!” Akira caught himself and stopped. “Okay, I’m leaving, I won’t let you manipulate me into another plan, you gremlin!” Akira said as he stood up to leave, he really didn’t want to go through another of his friends’ plans.

“You aren’t even leaving, you are just going to the kitchen to get more popcorn!” Futaba retorted. Then she puffed her cheeks.

“Bah, he will come back, he will come back…”

*** 

“I’m so disappointed in you, bro,” said Ryuji.

 _‘Not again.’_ Akira took a deep breath and paused the game that Ryuji and him had been playing in his room. “Yeah, yeah, I know, you can’t believe I like someone like Akechi,” he replied automatically, already used to this repetitive narrative structure.

“What!? You like Akechi?!”

“...” _Oh shit._ “You didn’t know? Wait, then what were you even disappointed about?”

“I was sad because you decided to blue shell me on Mario Kart! But really, Akechi!?”

“I thought the rumours would have gotten to you,” hummed Akira, kind of impressed that they hadn’t.

“Shit, dude. Now that you mention it, the rest talked about it, but I thought they were joking!”

“Haha It does sound like a joke, doesn’t it?” Akira rubbed the back of his head.

Ryuji agreed. “Yeah, kinda. But hell, dude, so you like, love Akechi and asked the rest for help?”

“I don’t really asked them, they just offered…” Akira looked at the floor. “Why, do you want to help me too?”

“I mean, If you want me to, I can help, sure, but do you really need help with that kinda thing?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, urgh, I know shit about love but wouldn’t it be better if you were straight forward about it, instead of using Mona or whatever you have been doing until now?”  

“Wow, Ryuji, that’s so mature of you,” Akira teased, but he was really impressed at his friend’s words. He was raising a very fair point.

Akira already knew that if he liked Akechi, he should be honest about it. Using Morgana as a means to flirt with the detective wasn’t brave nor fair, but the thing was, did he really want something more with Akechi in the first place?

At the beginning, he had gone along with those plans because his friends had looked so determined into helping him that he didn’t have enough heart to decline. He had thought that he was being kind by respecting his friends’ weird plans by allowing them to help him, but by doing so, had he neglected Akechi’s feelings?

Akira came to a realization. “God, Ryuji, you are so right, I’m such a dick.”

Ryuji’s eyes widened. “Yeah… What, no! I didn’t say that! Akechi is the dick.”

“Maybe… Maybe I like dicks…” whispered Akira, deep in thought.

“Erm, dude, that’s too much information.”

“It was a metaphor. Anyway, what should I do...?”

Ryuji shrugged. “I dunno, man, maybe you should ask Futaba for help, isn’t she like an expert with gay stuff?”

“I don’t think watching yaoi anime qualifies as being a gay expert.”

“It doesn’t?”

Akira groaned. Ryuji was right, though, maybe Futaba really was the answer to his problems. He took a deep breath, feeling defeated.

Ryuji hummed to himself. “You got it bad for Akechi, huh.”

Akira stuck his hands into his pockets, “It’s not that bad, I just don’t know how to feel about him. I’m pretty sure that I only want to be his friend, but-”

“Wait, is that a painting of you and Akechi on a boat under your bed?”

“... I swear–”

*** 

“I knew you would come back,” said Futaba from her red chair. Her room was completely dark except from the computer screens, and she was petting Morgana like some kind of Inspector Gadget villain.

“I need to fix my sins, boss.” Akira said dramatically, trying to follow Futaba’s villain’s lair setup just because he could.

“Explain yourself and I might offer you my eternal wisdom.” She said, then ate a Dorito.

It took Akira some time to find the exact words to express his thoughts. “I’m not sure about my… feelings towards Akechi. I do want to get to know him better, sure, but I would also like to be more honest about the whole thing.”

Futaba nodded, understanding. “I see, so you want a plan, but you don’t want to be a dick about it. That’s kinda hard.”

“...Yeah, it’s impossible, right?”

“I didn’t say that! It’s true that Akechi is a though one, and he seems to be into this cat-and-mouse thing anyway, so, hm… Give me some time to think, I’m sure I can come up with a perfect plan.”

Akira gave her a grin. “You are the best.”

“I know!”

***

“Thank you for accepting to come to Akihabara with us,” said Akira, actually impressed that Akechi had said yes after how chaotic their last encounters had been.

Akechi brushed it off. “No problem; after all the problems I caused to Leblanc I still feel like I’m in debt to you…” he subtly cringed, clearly still not over the initial fire accident.

“You should be saying that to me, the daughter of Leblanc’s owner!” chirped Futaba. The three of them (and Morgana) were outside one of the many arcade stores.

Akechi nodded, guilty. “True. Sorry, Futaba-chan.”

“Hmm I don’t know if I can forgive you.”

Akechi made an awkward laugh. “Is there something that I can do to fix that?”

“Muehehe you learn fast! You see, there’s an action figure that I want, but I can only get it if I win at a shooting game, which is impossible because I suck, so I called Akira, but he sucks too,” She said, helpless. “But he told me that you might be good at it, since you work with the police and stuff, so that’s why we called you here!”

At that, Akechi actually brightened up. “Well, I have been told that I have good aim.” 

***

_“So, what’s the plan?” Akira had asked in Futaba’s room, which was starting to smell too much of Doritos and regret._

_“After a bit of hacking,” Futaba had said, and then carefully added, “superficial hacking, of course… I discovered that our pancake boy is a nerd who loves Neo Featherman. Hah, what a loser.”_

_“Wait, you also love that show.”_

_“Yeah, he is a nerd loser with good taste. Anyway, there’s this arcade in Akihabara that has a special edition Neo Featherman figure that I’m sure he would love to own, so I’m gonna make him get it for me.”_

_“You… are going to make him get you a figure that he wants?” repeated Akira. “Isn’t that some kind of nerd torture?”_

_“Yeah, duh, and he will feel really sad about it.”_

_“Futaba,” Akira breathed, “Remember when I told you that I wanted a chance to be more honest with him, not make him cry?”_

_“Sush! That’s part of the plan. We need to make him hit rock bottom first so he can open up more to you later, that’s how it always works!”_

_“Weird flex but okay,” Akira said. “So you are saying that you will tell Akechi to win you ‘something’ but you won’t tell him what it is, and then…”_

_“And then…”_

***

“I did it!!” said Akechi, with a winning smile plastered on his face and a plastic gun in his hand. Akira didn’t expect him to be such an amazing shooter; he seemed to be very talented in many areas.

“Good job, kid,” congratulated the old man responsible for the shooting booth. “What gift do you want?”

Goro, who still didn’t know what Futaba wanted, looked at her. “Futaba-chan?”

Futaba played innocently with her hair, like the little devil she was. “Oh, you know, I want the amazing limited edition Neo Featherman figure of Red.”

“A figure of Red…?” Akechi repeated, eyes widening.

“Sure, there you go!” said the old man, going to the back door and reappearing a couple of minutes later with a big figure of what Akira imagined to be Red.

“Ahhh it’s so amazing!! My treasureee!!” exclaimed Futaba with grabby hands.

Akira side-eyed Goro to see if he really cared as much as Futaba promised that he would and, surprisingly, Futaba had been right. The detective seemed to be having a hard time hiding the disappointed look on his face.

“It’s… a really amazing toy,” he said to Futaba, with a plastic smile.

“Right? It’s so well made, and look at how big it is!” Futaba chirped.

Akira felt a pang of guilt in his chest, he really wished that the second part of the plan worked.

“W-Well, I’m glad that my shooting skills were valuable, but I think it’s time for me to go and-” Akechi started, but Futaba quickly interrupted him.

“Ah wait, I really want to thank you!”

“It’s not necessary, after all I almost burned Leblanc and-”

“Don’t worry about that! I want to buy you…food!! So wait here with Akira, I’m coming back in a flash!!” and before Akechi had time to say anything, Futaba left with her Red figure.

Akira and Akechi looked at each other and then waited near the booth.

“Excuse her, she is new to this people thing,” explained Akira, with an apologetic smile.

“Ah, not at all…” said Akechi, still clearly upset about the figure. Akira noticed that with the right context, the detective was surprisingly easy to read.

Akira walked towards the shooting both again and holded a plastic gun, “I have never seen that show, by the way, the one of this Red. I wonder if it’s any good.”

“It is,” Akechi quickly said, voice full of excitement, and then, catching himself, neutered his voice. “Or at least that’s what I heard the kids in the subway say.”

“It must be cool, then,” Akira offered. “By the way, where did you learn to shoot like that? You are very good.”

“Ah- well, just as you expected, I practiced for the police job,” Akechi laughed. “I’ve never used a real gun, though,” he was quick to add, looking away.

Akira nodded and stared at Morgana, winking at him now that Akechi wasn’t looking at them.

Morgana winked back. “Hey, Akira! Why don’t you ask Akechi to teach you how to shoot?”

Akechi looked at Morgana, surprised. “You sure bring him everywhere with you,” he said, not sounding too excited about it.

“Ah, yes, he likes to travel and give me advice.”

“And what kind of advice does he give you?” asked Akechi, tentatively.

Akira waited a few seconds until he spoke. “He told me to ask you to teach me how to shoot.”

Akechi’s eyes widened and he genuinely laughed at that. “You really– Your cat sure gives you very specific advice.”

“Yeah, do you think we should follow it?” Akira asked with a cocky grin.

Akechi rolled his eyes. “Of course, animals have a sixth sense after all.”

*** 

When Futaba arrived with a plate of pancakes for Akechi, (she believed that her sense of humor was hilarious) she found herself smiling at the scene in front of her:

Akira and Akechi were incredibly absorbed in the shooting game: Akechi was guiding Akira on how to grab the gun, giving him specific tips and looking very focused on teaching him as best as possible, always the perfectionist. Akira, on his part, had a dumb smile plastered on his face and listened to everything that Akechi said with full attention.

As it seemed, all this time they had only needed a small push in the form of a cat, and enough space to be themselves. Futaba smiled and hugged her beautiful Neo Featherman figure.

“All according to keikaku.”

“Hey, you are back!” said Morgana, coming next to her. “Akechi has been teaching him for twenty minutes, it’s so weird to see Akira trying to be bad at shooting despite how good he really is.”

“This is called love, Mona, I will tell you when you are an adult.”

“Ew.” 

***

“I didn’t notice it was so late already,” said Akechi, honestly surprised. “Where is Futaba-chan?”

Akira looked at his phone and was also astonished by how late it was. It felt like they had been shooting for five minutes, not a whole hour.

During that time he had gotten a text message from Futaba, as well. “She says that she had to leave, and that she will get you free curry next time you come to Leblanc, since she couldn’t get you anything today.”

“Ah, tell her that I will gladly take her up on that,” smiled Akechi. He looked more relaxed than Akira had ever seen him, but there was still some disappointment in his eyes.

_Oh, right!_

“Sure, but hold on a moment,” Akira said, and grabbed the plastic gun again.

“Aren’t you tired of playing?”

“I want to try to get the highest score with the skills you have taught me.”

Akechi shook his head, amused. “Ah, you can try, but don’t get discouraged if you don’t manage it, the targets move quite fast, after all, and-”

Before he could say anything else, Akira single handedly shoot every target with no trouble. When he looked back, Akechi was staring at him with wide eyes.

“You are such a good teacher,” Akira simply said, with a grin. Then he quickly went to the old man. “Hey, can I get a special edition Neo Featherman figure too?”

“Oh woah, you two are very talented, don’t come often or I will lose my job,” the man joked, but he still nodded and gave Akira his figure.

Akechi looked like he was still processing the fact that Akira had become an skilled shooter in one single afternoon when Akira offered him the Neo Featherman figure. “For you.”

“W-What?” stammered Akechi, caught completely off-guard.

“To thank you for teaching me. I know you don’t know anything about this show, but I hope it’s something.”

Akechi stared at the figure, then at Akira, then at the figure again, a complicated look lying on his face. “It... really isn’t necessary,” he murmured, but the smile on his face said the opposite thing.

“Just take it, Goro,” said Akira, smiling as well and feeling his heart beat a little bit faster, his stomach already full of butterflies. There was no denying it, he really had a crush, didn’t he?

Akechi, clearly overwhelmed by the unexpected present and by hearing his first name from Akira, slowly nodded. “Thank you.”

***

In the end, Akira had accompanied Akechi to the train station, if only to make this day a little bit longer. Akechi had not seemed to mind all that much.

“Oh, by the way, where is your cat?”

“Ah, Futaba probably left with him,” Akira touched his shoulder, it felt empty and lighter without his friend.

Akechi was playing with his glove. “...Akira, may I be honest with you for a second?”

Akira almost thought he was having an hallucination, because when he stared at the brunette, he saw that his cheeks were a bit red.

“Of course,” he tried to sound less nervous than he actually felt.

Akechi kept playing with his gloves and looked away. “It’s... nice to hang around with you, when it’s only the two of us,” he admitted.

Akira slowly nodded and rubbed his hair. “I think the same, my friends can be very intense.”

“Oh, no, don’t take it the wrong way, your friends and your… cat, are certainly peculiar, but there’s something stimulating between one-on-one conversations as well,” he mussed, with a genuine chuckle.

Akira nodded again, and inwardly realized that Akechi must have felt uncomfortable all those other times they met because Morgana and his other friends were always there. It never had been the two of them alone until now. He laughed, feeling guilty for being such a mess.

“Sorry, I promise you that next time it will only be the two of us,” he replied truthfully with a cocky smile.

Akechi raised an eyebrow. “Next time, huh...? Ah, this one is mine,” he said, staring at the approaching train. He got in while Akira stayed at the platform, but before the doors closed, Akira had one last thing to say.

“Goro, can I also be honest with you?”

Akechi stared at him with confusion, then nodded.

Akira put his hands in his pockets and grinned. “I’m actually very good at shooting.”

“Wha-”

The train’s doors closed and Akira was left with the priceless image of an open mouthed Akechi, first blinking and staring at him with confusion and, when the realization hit, incredulity and exasperation. Akira laughed openly as he watched the train leave.

On his way home, Akira wore the dumbest smile on his face while thinking about two things: 1. Yes, he had a crush on Akechi and 2. He loved and appreciated his friends dearly, but if he ever got himself into a life or death situation, he would only trust local gremlin Futaba to come up with an actual, functional plan.

***

A few weeks later, the Phantom Thieves had yet another new member.

“I’m so sad,” Haru said, from her seat. “that I missed your incredible love story.”

It was only the two of them in Leblanc, a tranquil and private atmosphere was surrounding them. Akira put a cup of coffee in front of Haru and yawned, he was already used to this, nothing could surprise him anymore. “Is it about Goro? We are only friends.”

“Oh, are you?” Haru exclaimed, genuinely surprised. “After everything that happened I thought you got married...”

 _Well, he didn’t expect_ ** _that._**  

“Erm… What did the others tell you, exactly?”

Haru brought a hand to her chin. “Hum... Everyone said something different, but what I got out of it is that you saved Ann and Akechi from burning alive in a fire, then there was a love triangle between you, Makoto, and Akechi, who had a knife fight to get your hand; after that, you and Akechi almost drowned on a boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and finally you proposed to him at an arcade!”

Akira stared at Haru in silence. He could already feel some of his black curls going grey. Rumours would really be the death of him.

“That’s… not what really happened,” he weakly explained, tired.

Haru looked disappointed. “Oh, really? How sad… Then, may I offer you my own love suggestion as well?”

“Sure, why not?” This was already some kind of initiation ritual for the Phantom Thieves anyway.

Haru was silent for a moment until her eyes lit up and she clasped her hands together. “I think you should tell him that you love him!” she said, pure, like the angel she was.

 _Oh, Haru._ “If life was so easy…”

“But you never know! He might say yes, and even kiss you!” she blushed while she said that, clearly picturing something very romantic in her mind.

Akira shook his head and smiled, picturing something similar as well, if only.

****

***

**

**_A few months later..._ **

 

“Akira, can we talk for a moment?” asked Goro, appearing at the top stairs of his attic.

Akira looked up from the magazine he was reading on his bed. “Oh, hi Goro. Sure.” he put down the magazine and gestured for Goro to come inside.

Life had a strange sense of humour. After avoiding getting shot in the head by his crush, saving said crush in a hellish engine room, fighting God on Christmas Eve, going to prison, and then getting out of prison later, Akira had yet to fight his final match.

“As you know, I’m very thankful that you welcomed me into your team, specially after everything that I had done…” Goro said carefully, the past events had changed him quite a lot, now he looked more guilty, yes, but also more determined to do good and certainly less desperate.

“It was nothing,” Akira reassured, just happy that Goro hadn't died alone behind that metal door.

“Yeah, I’m very thankful…” Goro repeated, less thankful, which made Akira stare at him in confusion. Goro continued, “I’m also impressed that you caught up that I was a metaverse user because of my pancake comment, on the first day we met.”

“Uh… Yeah, you did have bad luck back then,” joked Akira, not sure where Goro was going with that speech. “But that slip was what allowed us to come on top in the end, didn’t it?”

“Yeah, it certainly did.” Goro smiled, and there was some kind of murderous intent behind his eyes.

“Goro?” Akira asked, a shiver running down his spine.

“I just have been thinking…” Goro continued, “If you all knew that I could hear Morgana all along… does that mean that all those times that we met by ‘accident’, in which Morgana made strange comments to make you look cooler, or smarter, or even _sang_ , were on purpose?” He was staring at him with accusing eyes.

Akira gulped. Karma had a strange way to get to him. “I… wanted to get closer to you.”

Goro didn’t miss a beat. “And is that why you have Kitagawa’s painting under your bed?”

_Oh, come on, are you kidding me?!_

“Alright, you got me. I love you, okay!?” Akira exploded, throwing his hands at the air. “Are you all happy now!?” he screamed to no one in particular and to the whole world at the same time, exasperated.

Goro buffed and rolled his eyes, “Akira Kurusu, you are such a dick.” And then, against all odds, talking cats, fate, and badly crafted plans, he kissed him.

As it seemed, some things could be, in fact, that easy.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Ahh my first one-shot! I love Akira+Akechi ft. all the thieves so I had wanted to write something like this for a very long time <3 If you feel like everyone has one brain cell then that might be because the writer also owns one, lol.
> 
> As always, I want to thank my awesome beta @s_c_writ for fixing all my mistakes and, if you ever want to talk my twitter is @Shoujo_Shark 
> 
> Thank you for reading! Please if you enjoyed it let me know by leaving kudos and/or comment, It means more than you can imagine!


End file.
